Adamawa

An Adamawa-based NGO, Mana Foundation for Grassroots Development, says it donated sporting facilities to youth centres in Adamawa to enhance sports development in the state

The Director of the foundation, Miss Amina Gadzama, said in Yola on Saturday that it donated volleyball, table tennis and scrabble facilities to youth centres in the 21 local government areas.

Gadzama said that the donation would ensure development of the games.

She said that the gesture was to encourage the youth to develop their sports talents and to enable them make a living through sports.

Gadzama said the foundation had also concluded arrangements to organise inter-school football competition for girls in junior and senior schools in the state.

“A football competition will be organised for girls schools, the competition will be conducted at local government and state levels. ’’

Gombe

Farmers in Gombe State are hopeful that 2012 farming season will yield good results in the agricultural sector.

Some of the farmers, said the weather signs had indicated that the season would bring a lot of blessings.

One of the farmers, Alhaji Mohammed Bula, said that from all indications, this year’s farming season would be a successful one.

“Like our forefathers told us that if there is a serious hammattan and too much heat in the year, we are going be blessed with a good farming season and we have observed it this year,” he said.

He said that he had been farming for over 20 years, adding that every year he realised about 300 to 500 bags of Sorghum or Millet.

Bula  urged the State Government to ensure early supply of fertiliser to farmers at subsidised rate.

Malam Adamu Babawuro, also a farmer, predicted that Gombe would be among the states that would produce large quantities of grains, which the country would benefit from.

Babawuro expressed the belief that the loans given to farmers by the government in collaboration with the Bank of Industry would help in ensuring success during the farming season.

Another farmer, Musa Ajiya, advised the government to accept farm produce as repayment of the loan given to the farmers.

Kano

The new President of the Kano State Chapel of National Association of Women Journalist (NAWOJ), Hajiya Amina Usman, has pledged to wage war on the rampant cases of rape in Kano State through advocacy.

Usman made the pledge in Kano on Saturday while being sworn-in as President of the chapel.

She said that her administration would ensure massive support of NAWOJ members, adding that she would operate an open-door policy.

“We hope to follow the foot steps of our predecessors who worked tirelessly to see that NAWOJ awakened from its long slumber,” she stated.

Usman said that NAWOJ would collaborate with the Nigeria Union of Journalists in the training and re-training of its members.

“We are willing to assist and organise social gatherings and offer assistance to children at the orphanage homes in the state so they can feel the impact of our organisation,” she said.

Kogi

The Kogi State Deputy Governor, Mr Yomi Awoniyi, on Saturday in Lokoja reiterated the state government’s commitment to providing an improved working environment for its civil servants.

Awoniyi spoke after being decorated with the state’s new identity card by the Head of Service (HOS), Mr. Moses Atakpa.

The Deputy Governor who solicited the continued support of workers said an improved working environment would help the state in the attainment of its transformation agenda.

“Only a virile and well co-ordinated civil service will help in implementing government policies for the attainment of set-goals,’’ he said.

Awoniyi pointed out that the state government would provide every facility and working tool needed for effective service delivery by the civil servants.

“This is because government is committed to securing an improvement in the well-being of the citizenry,’’ he said.

The Deputy Governor commended the state’s civil servants for living up to their official responsibilities since the inception of the present administration in the state.

Kwara

A Nigerian-born American Preacher and President for the World Revival Mission, Pastor Sam Aweda, says that only righteousness will bring the nation back to the path of sanity and prosperity.

Aweda, who spoke with newsmen said “we have found ourselves a highly religious nation in crises of moral laxity.”

The clergyman, who came into the country to organise a one-day conference tagged: “A Day of Commitment to Godliness and Nation”, said he would reach out to many stakeholders during the religious endeavour.

The event is slated for Ilorin, the Kwara capital, on May 5.

Aweda said: “If we remove poverty in the land, those things which people list as problems, for which they sleep nights in places of worship, will disappear.’’

“Poverty is the root cause of many illnesses that afflict many people. How will someone not be sick, when he cannot get balanced diet to eat?.

Lagos

A Senior Special Assistant on Grassroots Sports Development to Gov. Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, has advised youths to be more committed to sports.

Oladunjoye said in Lagos that the Lagos State Government was planning to engage the youths through sports.

“Sports is to encourage young players, and give them a sense of belonging; in essence, making them responsible citizens,” he said.

Oladunjoye said the Lagos State Government would scout for up-and-coming sports talents at the 18th National Sports Festival (NSF), scheduled for November 27 to December 9 in Lagos.

He said such talents would be groomed to become professionals in their chosen sports and thus make a living through sports.

“We want to take advantage as the host state to engage Lagos youths and athletes to take whatever sports they participate in, to the next level,” Oladunjoye said.

Ogun

The police last Sunday foiled a robbery attempt at a branch of Guarantee Trust Bank in Kuto, Abeokuta, a statement said.

The Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Muyiwa Adejobi, said in a statement that the attempted robbery took place at 5 a.m.

It said the robbery suspects had stormed the bank, carrying different equipment, such as hammers, a gas cylinder, chisel and others, for the operation.

Adejobi said the suspects engaged the State Anti Robbery team in a gun duel, adding that the team, supported by the Quick Response Squad, forced the robbers to flee.

He said that the suspects left with bullet wounds and were forced to abandon their tools.

“‘The Commissioner of Police, Mr Ikemefuna Okoye, has ordered immediate investigation combing of the vicinity and investigation into the attack.

Sokoto

Sokoto State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) begind a 16-day tour of the 23 local governments of the state to assess development at the grassroots.

A statement signed by its chairman, Labaran Dundaye and secretary, Bashir Mani, said in Sokoto on Sunday that the tour was sequel to the approval granted by Governor  Aliyu Wamakko .

According to the statement, the monitoring tour is aimed at assessing the achievements of the state and the local governments in the last five years.

“It is also aimed at boosting the rural coverage by the working journalists in the state, as well as enhancing the entrenchment of democracy,’’ it added.

The  six chapels of the NUJ in the state, as well as the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) and Veteran Journalists, would all be represented on the tour.

Taraba

Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba State has charged the  State Tourism Development Board to live up to expectations of marketing the tourism potential of the state.

He warned that failure to do this would compel government to withdraw its sponsorship of the annual Nwonyo Fishing and Cultural Festival.

Suntai gave the charge last Saturday at Ibi in  Ibi Local Government Area of the state at a ceremony to mark the 2012 Nwonyo Fishing and Cultural Festival

He observed that a situation where people were invited for a jamboree using government resources to enjoy themselves and go away without any revenue accruing to government was no longer to be encouraged by his administration.

He complained that “four years after the board came into being we are yet to see if tourism in Taraba State can be turned into a revenue generating venture. “

He noted that this had remained a great challenge for members of the board.

“In the next two years if you cannot change your ways of handling the tourism issue in the state I will quietly withdraw from this unprofitable venture because Nwonyo Fishing Festival would have to be transformed to a revenue generating festival,” Suntai said.

Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the Board, Prof. Sa’ad Abubakar, a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Abuja, said that progress was being made in the tourism sector in the state.

He said that the board had been working relentlessly to involve the private sector in the tourism sector of the state.

Abubakar noted that the level of involvement of MTN, Zain and Zenith Bank among others in this year’s edition of the festival was a major breakthrough.